I'd spent weeks in a fetal position on my bed imagining this very day. The minute I'd have to stare not only my ex-fiancé in the eyes, but my conniving older sister. Although, Mateo hadn't been part of the mix, and there's been a lot more revenge ploys and bitter words exchanged involved.

The moment that Mateo and I stepped into the beach house, a wave of nausea washed over me and I tried to back away. Mateo kept his arm around my waist and leaned into me to whisper reassurances, but they stopped when Ashton entered the room and halted to a stop on the other side of the island we'd made out on less than two years ago.

I'd honestly half expected him to have let himself go over the last year and a half. I had prayed that if I ever were to have to face him again he'd have put on weight and decided to leave his grooming habits in the past. Unfortunately for me, he was as perfect as the minute I'd left him the night of our wedding.

His thick, dark black hair had been combed back, his sunkissed skin gleaming in the sun bleeding through the blinds. His blue eyes roamed my figure as I slowly straightened, before he averted his gaze altogether to Mateo over my shoulder. At some point in him entering the room, my body must have involuntarily collapsed against Mateo, because he was carrying most of my weight to keep me upright.

"Mateo." He introduced himself, extending an arm with a forced smile that didn't come remotely close to meeting his eyes. Only someone that knew him would be able to observe such a small mannerism. "I'm assuming you're the groom."

Ashton, forced to speak and face us once more, cleared his throat and took Mateo's darker hand in his own. "Yes. Ashton Phillips. Bren talks about you a lot. Glad to finally put a name to a face, man."

Mateo nodded but didn't return the sentiment. After a moment of tense silence, Ashton finally met my eyes and whispered, "I didn't know you were coming."

Against my better judgement, I snapped, "I'm sorry you don't have control over my every move anymore."

"I'm sorry I don't feel comfortable with my ex fiancé being at my wedding." he huffed just as coldly.

Mateo snickered. "Well, I suppose you should have tried to cheat outside the family, man."

Ashton looked as if Mateo had sucker punched him in the gut and even fell back a few steps, his cheeks flushing.

"I'm here because my mother asked me to be." I eventually stated. "I figured with you being a part of the family we should let bygones be bygones, right? All water under the bridge."

The words physically hurt, but Mateo squeezed my hip just the slightest with a nod of encouragement.

Ashton, however, was taken back by the comment and took so long to respond I'd all but given up on getting one. Just as I was ready to ask Mateo to help me get out of the inferno the kitchen had become, he asked, "You two are together?"

"Yes." I answered without a second of hesitation, possibly even a little too fast. What I emitted was, not that it's any of your business.

"Oh, nice." he looked relieved, but there was a little of something else in there too, but it was gone before I could place it. "Well, welcome to the beach house, Mateo, and welcome back Madison. Make yourself comfortable, we'll be gathering everyone in the living room once your all settled."

Then, relieving us all of the stress and tension of the three of us sharing the same air, he spun on his heel and rushed down the hall and out of sight. I didn't look at Mateo was we followed in his footsteps a few minutes later, but I could feel his eyes burning into the side of my head until we stepped into the last bedroom at the end of the hall. He immediately inhaled sharply in awe and crossed the room to stare out the balcony doors. I'd sat and stared for hours every summer I'd come, lost in thought and in the serenity and beauty of it all. It was so tranquil.

That feeling was long since gone.

"You can take the futon." I demanded as I tossed my bags onto the baby blue comforter. Tearing his eyes from the beautiful sunset, Mateo finally took in the bedroom and his eyes widened once more.

The room was the size of my entire studio back home, not that I'd admit that aloud to anyone, surely not Mateo. There was just the single King bed in the center of the room, opposite a plasma mounted over a white dresser, with sea shell décor lining the top. To my back was an ugly black futon I'd remembered Ash tossing in the room late sophomore year of high school so his friend could crash in the room with us.

"Oh, come on, Mads." Mateo eventually respond, setting his own bag beside my own. "We're adults. I think we can manage to share that bed and still not touch one another."

"I am not sleeping in bed with you."

He scoffed. "You're a child."

"And you snore so loud I'm sure the next state over can hear you." I retorted with a glare. "Not to mention you are handsy as hell, Mateo. We shared a bed when we went to that cabin when we were kids, remember? You didn't even remember doing it the next morning."

He all but rolled his eyes. "Do you ever stop for a moment a listen to how immature and ridiculous you sound?"

Irritated, I crossed my arms and snapped, "This was your idea. I shouldn't be surprised it isn't going as planned, considering your half a brain cell is struggling as it is."

Though he'd never once in over ten years of knowing him shown any indication he was abusive, the minute he crossed the room and cornered me, I considered the thought he'd raise his hand. My face must have been easy to read because he immediately deflated once there was nonexitstent space between us, and gently pressed his palm to the left of my head and the other inches from my hip.

"Did you really think I'd hurt you, Mads?" he whispered, not even trying to mask the hurt in his expression or voice.

I refused to look up at him. "I don't know."

"Madison, I'd never hit a woman, and I'd kill any man that lifted his hand at you."

There was a long bout of silence shared between us, so long that I finally tilted my head back to stare at him. There was no longer any anger or tension between us, and for a second I considered just hugging him. All my anxiety, anger, and hurt was washing over me at once and I wanted to be alone and be consoled.

"Did. . .did he ever touch you?" Mateo's quiet inquiry earned a startled look out of me.

"What?"

He jerked his chin toward the door. "The rich prick, did he ever hit you? Is that why you thought I would."

I remained silent and tried to duck under his arm, but he caught my elbow and forced me to answer.

"Madison, I asked you a question."

I shrugged a shoulder. "Once, I think. But it was my fault and I was fine. No harm no foul."

"No harm no foul?" he growled. "The hell? Madison, if he hit you, why the hell wouldn't you tell Bren? Or your dad? Or me?"

Rather than respond with what he wanted, I deflected. "Last I checked, I couldn't stand you, Mateo. I wasn't going to go running to you with my relationship issues."

"I told you and Sarah the second you stepped foot in that high school that I had your backs."

"I'm exhausted, Mateo." I breathed, blinking rapidly to keep tears back. "Can I get some rest before I have to face my sister?"

He looked as if there were more he wanted to pry and get out of me, but relented and even stepped back so I could unpack my bag. At some point he walked around the bed and followed suit. It seemed like an eternity to before the monotony was broke and I touched my fingertips to his forearm and stopped him as he was about to leave the room.

"I'm sorry, Mateo." I whispered. "I. . . I know you're only trying to help. I'm just overwhelmed. Angry, scared, hurt. Every emotion you can think of, I'm probably feeling it at this very second."

He hesitated then wrapped me in his embrace and rested his chin on the top of my head. "They're not worth you tearing yourself apart, Mads. They deserve to feel this shit, not you. You can't keep holding on to all the pain and hurt, Madison, it'll eat you alive."

There was an unmistakable bitterness in his tone. He was speaking from experience.

"I know this week is going to be hard. Probably some of the hardest shit you'll ever have to go through. But you can't let that piece of crap know he still has control over you. And your sister? You need to be the bigger person. After this week? You don't ever have to look her in the eye again, alright? You said you did this for your mother, so make this week about her, about your parents, about seeing Bren and your niece."

I nodded into his chest, sniffling. "Who would have thought you were actually decent at comforting a girl?"

"I'm really not. I hate tears and all the sappy crap." His chest vibrated with a chuckle under my head. "But I can comfort you, Mads. As much as you hate to admit to it, I know you."

"Mhm." I tilted my head back again and looked up at him. "Thank you, Mateo."

He smiled but it faltered slightly as my brother cleared his throat in the doorway. I slowly turned, wiping at the tears that had no doubt stained my cheeks, wanting to question how long he'd been there. The look he was exchanging with his best friend was a good indicator he hadn't heard the earlier half of our argument.

"I don't know whether to throw up or be relieved that y'all have one another. I trust this idiot with my life, but I wasn't sure until now that I could trust him with yours."

The words hit Mateo hard and even remained silent long after my brother retreated to the living room to join the rest of the family.

I waited until Mateo excused himself to the balcony to change quickly. Once I'd finished, I leaned over the railing on the balcony beside him.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I asked. "I just wish the beauty of all this wasn't so tainted for me."

"Then make it so it isn't." Mateo answered without thinking, turning to look at me.

I raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Make more memories here, Mads. Different memories. Better ones." he explained. "You don't have to let them destroy everything you love too."

I smiled weakly at the comment, eyes falling on a seagull as it landed on the sandy beach. "You're right."

"Always am." he said with a laugh as he straightened. "I recall you telling me that was one of the things you hated about me. My ego and conceit."

"Still do." I said, my smile stretching until it became a grin.

He snorted. "Lies. I'll bet you won't be able to keep your hands off me by the time we get back on that plane home."

"In your dreams, Morales." I said as we headed back into the room.

He threw a wink and smirk over his shoulders, "Always, babe."